Scaife ATLAS

CTS Library / Heracles Mad

Heracles Mad (336-435)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg009.perseus-eng2:336-435
Refs {'start': {'reference': '336', 'human_reference': 'Line 336'}, 'end': {'reference': '435', 'human_reference': 'Line 435'}}
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Children []
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Children, follow the footsteps of your hapless mother to your father’s house, where others possess his substance, though his name is still ours. Exit Megara with her children.
Amphitryon
O Zeus, in vain, it seems, did I get you to share my bride with me;
in vain used we to call you partner in my son. After all you are less our friend than you pretended. Great god as you are, I, a mortal, surpass you in true worth. For I did not betray the children of Heracles; but you by stealth found your way to my bed,
taking another’s wife without leave given, while to save your own friends you have no skill. Either you are a god of little sense, or else naturally unjust. Exit Amphitryon.
Chorus
Phoebus is singing a dirge, after his happier strains,
for Linus dead in his beauty, striking his lyre with key of gold; but I wish to sing a song of praise, a crown to all his toil, on the one who has gone to the gloom beneath the nether world,
whether I am to call him son of Zeus or of Amphitryon. For the virtue of noble toils is a glory to the dead.
359
Chorus
First he cleared the grove of Zeus
of a lion, and put its skin upon his back, hiding his hair in its fearful gaping jaws.
364
Chorus
And then one day with murderous bow he wounded
the race of wild Centaurs, that range the hills, slaying them with winged shafts. Peneus, the river of fair eddies, knows him well, and those far fields unharvested,
and the steadings on Pelion and neighboring caves of Homole, from where the Centaurs rode forth to conquer Thessaly, arming themselves with pines.
375
Chorus
And he slew that dappled deer with horns of gold, that preyed upon the country-folk, glorifying Artemis, huntress queen of Oenoe.
380
Chorus
Next he mounted on a chariot and tamed with the bit the horses of Diomedes, that greedily champed their bloody food at gory mangers with unbridled jaws, devouring with hideous joy the flesh of men;
then crossing the heights of Hebrus that flow with silver, he still toiled on for the tyrant of Mycenae.
389
Chorus
And at the strand of the Pelian gulf
by the streams of Anaurus, he slew with his arrows Cycnus, murderer of his guests, the savage wretch who dwelt in Amphanae.
394
Chorus
And he came to those minstrel maids,
to their orchard in the west, to pluck from the leafy apple-tree its golden fruit, when he had slain the tawny dragon, whose terrible coils were twined all round to guard it;
and he made his way into ocean’s lairs, bringing calm to men that use the oar.
403
Chorus
And he stretched out his hands to uphold the firmament,
seeking the home of Atlas, and on his manly shoulders took the starry mansions of the gods.
408
Chorus
Then he went through the waves of heaving Euxine against the mounted host of Amazons dwelling round Maeotis,
the lake that is fed by many a stream, having gathered to his standard all his friends from Hellas, to fetch the gold-embroidered raiment of the warrior queen,
a deadly quest for a girdle. Hellas won those glorious spoils of the barbarian maid, and they are safe in Mycenae.
419
Chorus
He burned to ashes Lerna’s murderous hound,
the many-headed water-snake, and smeared its venom on his darts, with which he slew the shepherd of Erytheia, a monster with three bodies.
425
Chorus
And many another glorious achievement he brought to a happy issue; to Hades’ house of tears has he now sailed, the goal of his labors, where he is ending his career of toil, nor does he come back again.
Now your house is left without a friend, and Charon’s boat awaits your children to bear them on that journey out of life, without return, contrary to the gods’ law and man’s justice; and it is to your prowess
that your house is looking although you are not here.
Children 1 w 8
follow 1 w 15
the 1 w 18
footsteps 1 w 27
of 1 w 29
your 1 w 33
hapless 1 w 40
mother 1 w 46
to 1 w 48
your 2 w 52
father 1 w 58
s 5 w 60
house 1 w 65
where 1 w 71
others 1 w 77
possess 1 w 84
his 1 w 87
substance 1 w 96
though 1 w 103
his 2 w 106
name 1 w 110
is 3 w 112
still 1 w 117
ours 1 w 121
Exit 1 w 126
Megara 1 w 132
with 1 w 136
her 5 w 139
children 1 w 147
Amphitryon 1 w 158
O 1 w 159
Zeus 1 w 163
in 1 w 166
vain 1 w 170
it 4 w 173
seems 1 w 178
did 1 w 182
I 1 w 183
get 1 w 186
you 3 w 189
to 2 w 191
share 1 w 196
my 1 w 198
bride 1 w 203
with 2 w 207
me 2 w 209
in 3 w 212
vain 2 w 216
used 1 w 220
we 1 w 222
to 3 w 224
call 1 w 228
you 4 w 231
partner 1 w 238
in 5 w 240
my 2 w 242
son 1 w 245
After 1 w 251
all 2 w 254
you 5 w 257
are 2 w 260
less 2 w 264
our 4 w 267
friend 1 w 273
than 1 w 277
you 6 w 280
pretended 1 w 289
Great 1 w 295
god 1 w 298
as 1 w 300
you 7 w 303
are 3 w 306
I 2 w 308
a 18 w 310
mortal 1 w 316
surpass 1 w 324
you 8 w 327
in 6 w 329
true 1 w 333
worth 1 w 338
For 1 w 342
I 3 w 343
did 2 w 346
not 1 w 349
betray 1 w 355
the 5 w 358
children 2 w 366
of 2 w 368
Heracles 1 w 376
but 1 w 380
you 9 w 383
by 1 w 385
stealth 1 w 392
found 1 w 397
your 3 w 401
way 1 w 404
to 4 w 406
my 3 w 408
bed 1 w 411
taking 1 w 418
another 1 w 425
s 33 w 427
wife 1 w 431
without 1 w 438
leave 1 w 443
given 1 w 448
while 1 w 454
to 5 w 456
save 1 w 460
your 4 w 464
own 1 w 467
friends 1 w 474
you 12 w 477
have 1 w 481
no 3 w 483
skill 1 w 488
Either 1 w 495
you 13 w 498
are 4 w 501
a 31 w 502
god 2 w 505
of 3 w 507
little 1 w 513
sense 1 w 518
or 4 w 521
else 1 w 525
naturally 1 w 534
unjust 1 w 540
Exit 2 w 545
Amphitryon 2 w 555
Chorus 1 w 562
Phoebus 1 w 569
is 4 w 571
singing 1 w 578
a 34 w 579
dirge 1 w 584
after 1 w 590
his 3 w 593
happier 1 w 600
strains 1 w 607
for 1 w 611
Linus 1 w 616
dead 1 w 620
in 12 w 622
his 4 w 625
beauty 1 w 631
striking 1 w 640
his 5 w 643
lyre 1 w 647
with 4 w 651
key 1 w 654
of 4 w 656
gold 1 w 660
but 2 w 664
I 4 w 665
wish 1 w 669
to 6 w 671
sing 2 w 675
a 40 w 676
song 1 w 680
of 5 w 682
praise 1 w 688
a 42 w 690
crown 1 w 695
to 7 w 697
all 4 w 700
his 6 w 703
toil 1 w 707
on 5 w 710
the 8 w 713
one 1 w 716
who 1 w 719
has 1 w 722
gone 1 w 726
to 9 w 728
the 9 w 731
gloom 1 w 736
beneath 1 w 743
the 10 w 746
nether 1 w 752
world 1 w 757
whether 1 w 765
I 5 w 766
am 2 w 768
to 10 w 770
call 2 w 774
him 1 w 777
son 3 w 780
of 6 w 782
Zeus 2 w 786
or 8 w 788
of 7 w 790
Amphitryon 3 w 800
For 2 w 804
the 13 w 807
virtue 1 w 813
of 8 w 815
noble 1 w 820
toils 1 w 825
is 11 w 827
a 48 w 828
glory 1 w 833
to 12 w 835
the 14 w 838
dead 2 w 842
Chorus 2 w 849
First 1 w 854
he 18 w 856
cleared 1 w 863
the 15 w 866
grove 1 w 871
of 9 w 873
Zeus 3 w 877
of 10 w 879
a 51 w 880
lion 1 w 884
and 1 w 888
put 1 w 891
its 1 w 894
skin 1 w 898
upon 1 w 902
his 7 w 905
back 1 w 909
hiding 1 w 916
his 8 w 919
yellow 1 w 925
auburn 1 w 931
hair 1 w 935
in 17 w 937
its 2 w 940
fearful 1 w 947
gaping 1 w 953
jaws 1 w 957
Chorus 3 w 964
And 1 w 967
then 1 w 971
one 3 w 974
day 1 w 977
with 5 w 981
murderous 1 w 990
bow 1 w 993
he 21 w 995
wounded 1 w 1002
the 17 w 1005
race 1 w 1009
of 11 w 1011
wild 1 w 1015
Centaurs 1 w 1023
that 1 w 1028
range 1 w 1033
the 18 w 1036
hills 1 w 1041
slaying 1 w 1049
them 1 w 1053
with 6 w 1057
winged 1 w 1063
shafts 1 w 1069
Peneus 1 w 1076
the 20 w 1080
river 1 w 1085
of 12 w 1087
fair 1 w 1091
eddies 1 w 1097
knows 1 w 1103
him 2 w 1106
well 1 w 1110
and 2 w 1114
those 1 w 1119
far 1 w 1122
fields 1 w 1128
unharvested 1 w 1139
and 3 w 1143
the 21 w 1146
steadings 1 w 1155
on 13 w 1157
Pelion 1 w 1163
and 4 w 1166
neighboring 1 w 1177
caves 1 w 1182
of 13 w 1184
Homole 1 w 1190
from 1 w 1195
where 2 w 1200
the 22 w 1203
Centaurs 2 w 1211
rode 1 w 1215
forth 1 w 1220
to 13 w 1222
conquer 1 w 1229
Thessaly 1 w 1237
arming 1 w 1244
themselves 1 w 1254
with 7 w 1258
pines 1 w 1263
Chorus 4 w 1270
And 2 w 1273
he 31 w 1275
slew 1 w 1279
that 2 w 1283
dappled 1 w 1290
deer 1 w 1294
with 8 w 1298
horns 1 w 1303
of 14 w 1305
gold 2 w 1309
that 3 w 1314
preyed 1 w 1320
upon 2 w 1324
the 24 w 1327
country-folk 1 w 1339
glorifying 1 w 1350
Artemis 1 w 1357
huntress 1 w 1366
queen 1 w 1371
of 15 w 1373
Oenoe 1 w 1378
Chorus 5 w 1385
Next 1 w 1389
he 33 w 1391
mounted 1 w 1398
on 17 w 1400
a 80 w 1401
chariot 1 w 1408
and 5 w 1411
tamed 1 w 1416
with 9 w 1420
the 25 w 1423
bit 1 w 1426
the 26 w 1429
horses 1 w 1435
of 16 w 1437
Diomedes 1 w 1445
that 4 w 1450
greedily 1 w 1458
champed 1 w 1465
their 1 w 1470
bloody 1 w 1476
food 1 w 1480
at 9 w 1482
gory 1 w 1486
mangers 1 w 1493
with 10 w 1497
unbridled 1 w 1506
jaws 2 w 1510
devouring 1 w 1520
with 11 w 1524
hideous 1 w 1531
joy 1 w 1534
the 28 w 1537
flesh 1 w 1542
of 17 w 1544
men 1 w 1547
then 2 w 1552
crossing 1 w 1560
the 30 w 1563
heights 1 w 1570
of 18 w 1572
Hebrus 1 w 1578
that 5 w 1582
flow 1 w 1586
with 12 w 1590
silver 1 w 1596
he 41 w 1599
still 2 w 1604
toiled 1 w 1610
on 18 w 1612
for 3 w 1615
the 31 w 1618
tyrant 1 w 1624
of 19 w 1626
Mycenae 1 w 1633
Chorus 6 w 1640
And 3 w 1643
at 11 w 1645
the 32 w 1648
strand 1 w 1654
of 20 w 1656
the 33 w 1659
Pelian 1 w 1665
gulf 1 w 1669
by 2 w 1671
the 34 w 1674
streams 1 w 1681
of 21 w 1683
Anaurus 1 w 1690
he 46 w 1693
slew 2 w 1697
with 13 w 1701
his 9 w 1704
arrows 1 w 1710
Cycnus 1 w 1716
murderer 1 w 1725
of 22 w 1727
his 10 w 1730
guests 1 w 1736
the 35 w 1740
savage 1 w 1746
wretch 1 w 1752
who 2 w 1755
dwelt 1 w 1760
in 28 w 1762
Amphanae 1 w 1770
Chorus 7 w 1777
And 4 w 1780
he 48 w 1782
came 1 w 1786
to 15 w 1788
those 2 w 1793
minstrel 1 w 1801
maids 1 w 1806
to 16 w 1809
their 2 w 1814
orchard 1 w 1821
in 30 w 1823
the 37 w 1826
west 1 w 1830
to 17 w 1833
pluck 1 w 1838
from 2 w 1842
the 38 w 1845
leafy 1 w 1850
apple-tree 1 w 1860
its 3 w 1863
golden 1 w 1869
fruit 1 w 1874
when 1 w 1879
he 53 w 1881
had 1 w 1884
slain 1 w 1889
the 39 w 1892
tawny 1 w 1897
dragon 1 w 1903
whose 1 w 1909
terrible 1 w 1917
coils 1 w 1922
were 1 w 1926
twined 1 w 1932
all 6 w 1935
round 1 w 1940
to 18 w 1942
guard 1 w 1947
it 27 w 1949
and 7 w 1953
he 55 w 1955
made 1 w 1959
his 11 w 1962
way 2 w 1965
into 1 w 1969
ocean 1 w 1974
s 136 w 1976
lairs 1 w 1981
bringing 1 w 1990
calm 1 w 1994
to 20 w 1996
men 2 w 1999
that 6 w 2003
use 3 w 2006
the 40 w 2009
oar 1 w 2012
Chorus 8 w 2019
And 5 w 2022
he 57 w 2024
stretched 1 w 2033
out 2 w 2036
his 12 w 2039
hands 1 w 2044
to 21 w 2046
uphold 1 w 2052
the 41 w 2055
firmament 1 w 2064
seeking 1 w 2072
the 42 w 2075
home 1 w 2079
of 23 w 2081
Atlas 1 w 2086
and 9 w 2090
on 20 w 2092
his 13 w 2095
manly 1 w 2100
shoulders 1 w 2109
took 1 w 2113
the 43 w 2116
starry 1 w 2122
mansions 1 w 2130
of 24 w 2132
the 44 w 2135
gods 1 w 2139
Chorus 9 w 2146
Then 1 w 2150
he 64 w 2152
went 1 w 2156
through 1 w 2163
the 45 w 2166
waves 1 w 2171
of 25 w 2173
heaving 1 w 2180
Euxine 1 w 2186
against 1 w 2193
the 46 w 2196
mounted 2 w 2203
host 1 w 2207
of 26 w 2209
Amazons 1 w 2216
dwelling 1 w 2224
round 2 w 2229
Maeotis 1 w 2236
the 47 w 2240
lake 1 w 2244
that 7 w 2248
is 21 w 2250
fed 1 w 2253
by 3 w 2255
many 1 w 2259
a 137 w 2260
stream 2 w 2266
having 1 w 2273
gathered 1 w 2281
to 23 w 2283
his 14 w 2286
standard 1 w 2294
all 7 w 2297
his 15 w 2300
friends 2 w 2307
from 3 w 2311
Hellas 1 w 2317
to 24 w 2320
fetch 1 w 2325
the 49 w 2328
gold-embroidered 1 w 2344
raiment 1 w 2351
of 27 w 2353
the 50 w 2356
warrior 1 w 2363
queen 2 w 2368
a 147 w 2370
deadly 1 w 2376
quest 1 w 2381
for 4 w 2384
a 149 w 2385
girdle 1 w 2391
Hellas 2 w 2398
won 1 w 2401
those 3 w 2406
glorious 1 w 2414
spoils 1 w 2420
of 28 w 2422
the 51 w 2425
barbarian 1 w 2434
maid 2 w 2438
and 11 w 2442
they 1 w 2446
are 6 w 2449
safe 1 w 2453
in 42 w 2455
Mycenae 2 w 2462
Chorus 10 w 2469
He 5 w 2471
burned 1 w 2477
to 25 w 2479
ashes 1 w 2484
Lerna 1 w 2489
s 175 w 2491
murderous 2 w 2500
hound 1 w 2505
the 53 w 2509
many-headed 1 w 2520
water-snake 1 w 2531
and 12 w 2535
smeared 1 w 2542
its 4 w 2545
venom 1 w 2550
on 24 w 2552
his 16 w 2555
darts 1 w 2560
with 14 w 2565
which 1 w 2570
he 77 w 2572
slew 3 w 2576
the 54 w 2579
shepherd 1 w 2587
of 29 w 2589
Erytheia 1 w 2597
a 169 w 2599
monster 1 w 2606
with 15 w 2610
three 1 w 2615
bodies 1 w 2621
Chorus 11 w 2628
And 6 w 2631
many 3 w 2635
another 2 w 2642
glorious 2 w 2650
achievement 1 w 2661
he 83 w 2663
brought 1 w 2670
to 26 w 2672
a 173 w 2673
happy 1 w 2678
issue 1 w 2683
to 27 w 2686
Hades 1 w 2691
house 2 w 2697
of 30 w 2699
tears 1 w 2704
has 2 w 2707
he 84 w 2709
now 2 w 2712
sailed 1 w 2718
the 57 w 2722
goal 1 w 2726
of 31 w 2728
his 17 w 2731
labors 1 w 2737
where 3 w 2743
he 87 w 2745
is 27 w 2747
ending 1 w 2753
his 18 w 2756
career 1 w 2762
of 32 w 2764
toil 4 w 2768
nor 1 w 2772
does 1 w 2776
he 88 w 2778
come 1 w 2782
back 2 w 2786
again 2 w 2791
Now 1 w 2795
your 5 w 2799
house 3 w 2804
is 29 w 2806
left 1 w 2810
without 2 w 2817
a 185 w 2818
friend 4 w 2824
and 13 w 2828
Charon 1 w 2834
s 202 w 2836
boat 1 w 2840
awaits 1 w 2846
your 6 w 2850
children 3 w 2858
to 29 w 2860
bear 1 w 2864
them 3 w 2868
on 27 w 2870
that 8 w 2874
journey 1 w 2881
out 4 w 2884
of 33 w 2886
life 1 w 2890
without 3 w 2898
return 1 w 2904
contrary 1 w 2913
to 30 w 2915
the 59 w 2918
gods 2 w 2922
law 1 w 2926
and 14 w 2929
man 7 w 2932
s 205 w 2934
justice 1 w 2941
and 15 w 2945
it 34 w 2947
is 30 w 2949
to 31 w 2951
your 7 w 2955
prowess 1 w 2962
that 9 w 2966
your 8 w 2970
house 4 w 2975
is 31 w 2977
looking 1 w 2984
although 1 w 2992
you 18 w 2995
are 9 w 2998
not 4 w 3001
here 5 w 3005